He Will Deliver Us!

“For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself… But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God. He delivered us… and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope…” (II Corinthians 1:8-9).

One of my most solemn responsibilities as a pastor is to come along side you as you experience events that result in your feeling “burdened beyond strength.” No doubt such things take on a variety of forms. These include health, family, relational, work and financial issues. At times, such things come upon us suddenly and without warning. At other times, the burdens we endure seem to grow over time and just keep coming. You know exactly what I mean. Some of you are in such a time right now.

It’s comforting to me at such times to remind you (and myself) that although such burdens make us feel alone and adrift, captive to things over which we have little or no control, from God’s perspective that is never the case. God never purposes things to occur, even the most painful things, apart from a sovereign and divine purpose. The Apostle Paul came to see this in his own life and expressed it quite clearly in the passage cited above. Take a look at it with me.

The first thing that strikes me is Paul’s raw and brutal honesty. His burden was such that he “despaired of life itself.” Friends, no matter how strong your faith may be, there are times when life itself seems purposeless and futile. Paul understood that. He knew that God is big enough to handle even the most painful of our cries in the midst of our pain. When events make you despair of life itself, it’s perfectly OK to tell God in the strongest of terms that you are at the very end of your endurance. He understands. He can handle it.

But note secondly that Paul came to see God’s purpose in his pain. He realized that God’s purpose was to make him “rely on God” as his sole source of strength. Paul came to see that pain was for the purpose of pointing him to God and to God’s sufficiency. Once he realized that, his focus changed; leading us to an additional observation. Paul’s pain focused his hope. He came to see that God delivers us, and will continue to do so, as our hope is focused solely upon God, not upon any other source. 

Friends, I don’t know how these words speak into your heart at this time. I know some of your “despairing” situations, but not all of them. My prayer for you is that you will respond as Paul did; speak honestly to God, seek God’s purpose in your pain, and focus solely on the strength and hope he brings. In his time and in his way he will do for you what he did for Paul; “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.”